St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-26
HE HAD A PRETTY WIFE
An Aged New York Farmer Weds With
an Exceedingly Attractive and
Buxom Young Damsel.
The Pair Move West, and the Faithless
Female Robs and Deserts Her
Husband,
Who, Unable to Stand the Disgrace.
Takes a Header Into the Un-
known.
deliberate Suicide in His Prison Cell
of Polander Who Was In
toxicated.

BINGHAMToN, N. Y, Jan. 25.-Three
or four years ago a farmer, aged so, named
AolJah Brent, and living near the Pennsyl-
Vanla border, below this city, was married
10 Martha Pennell, who was not then 20
years Old. 1t was supposed by the young
woman and by the people of this locality
that Brent was possessed of considerable
money, but his wife learned soon after the
marriage that he was not worth a dollar,
MS property beng heavily mortgaged. The
marriage was not followed by domestic
| happiness. Mrs. Brent was one of the
prettlest glrls In the community where she
lVed. Her parents were poor. Brent and
his Young wife did not separate, nOtWith-
standing the infelicity of their married life.
Two years ago the old mans farm was sold
under foreclosure proceedings. and soon after
he and his wife moved to Indiana, where it
seems he succeeded in purchasing a small
farm. on which was valuable tract of wal
nut timber. three miles from the small viii
iage OF Crlstville. For year past nothing
has been heard Of Brent and his young wife
by any of their old Pennsylvania neighbors.
Three weeks ago Mrs. Brent appeared at
| her former home.
SHE WAS ELEGANTLY DRESSED
and was accompanied by a fine looking
man, who was introduced by her as her
husband, George Tyler. She said that
Brent had died nearly a year before and
that she had married a second time and was
then on her wedding trip, which was to in
clude trip to Europe, her husband being a
man of means. The couple remained as
the woman'S fathers three days and then
took their departure and nothing has been
heard from them since. The news of
| oh ro,,fsc
widow with rich husband was announced
III local paper week before last. Charles
Rogers. a cousin of Brents, whois travel
ing salesman for New York house and
lives III that city, happened to be in a
| nelghOorlng village and read the announce
ment OF Brent's death in the paper. He
went at once to his Cousins old home and
there produced letter which he had re-
ceived from Brent and which had been
written and mailed only the day before last
Christmas. Rogers went to the indiana
village, and, according to letter received
from him by friend in Susuuehanna
county, found strangely complicated and
mysterious case. For a year and moro
past Mrs. Brent'S relations with prominent7
citizen of Cristville, of the name of Cover
dale, had been a source of great scandal in
the community. COVerdale was mer-
chant and had an invalid wife and five.
children. He and Mrs. Brent were much
together Before the holidays he began to-
sell out the goods in his store by auctions
and added nothing to his stock. The day.
following New Years the store was not
opened and COverdale was not seen in the
town. Nothing could be learned as to his
| whereabouts. Brent'S farm was on an un-
frequented road, and his nearest neighbor,
! lived two miles away. Between Christmas
and New Years he had sold his walnut tim
Der for nearly S400 and received the money.
! A friend OF his, who was at his house the
day before New Years, says that the money
| was in bureau drawer on that day in4
Brents bedroom. Two or three days after
the strange disappearance of Coverdale a
resident of CriStville drove out to Brent'S
farm to see the old man about the purchase
| OF horse. The house was locked and the
whole place had deserted appearance. A
horse and cow in the barn showed plainly
that they had not been fed for several days.
Feeling that something was wrong with
Brent, the visitor summoned others and
broke into the house. Everything was in
| order. Brent's clothing was in his bedroom,
but no trace of him could be found any
where about the premises. The bureau
drawer, where Brent's friend declared the
$400 was on the Friday before, was open
and
THE MONEY WAS GONE.
1t was evident that the house had been
without occupants for some time. That
Coverdale and Mrs. Brent had eloped no
one doubted. but they had executed their
plans so cleverly that not the slightest clue
could be found that would give any indica-
ton as to the direction they had taken. 1t
was believed that they had put the woman'S
husband out of the way and taken his
money with them. bat why the old mans
death was necessary to the success of the
plans OF the runaWays could not be made
clear. A week after the discoveries made
at Brent'S farm, the unusual sight at this
time of the year of a flock of crows hover
ing about piece of woods on farm two
miles from BrentS was noticed by boy
named Willie Compton. He went out with
his gun to shoot at the crows, which seemed
to gather in one particular spot and cav
Ill curious manner. The crows few
further away as the boy entered the wood S,
and as he followed them up he came sud-
denly upon the dead body of man h ang-
ing by the neck from the lower branch of
big walnut tree. The boy hurried from the
woods and alarmed men on the farm. They
went to the tree and recognized the body as
that of the missing farmer. A justice of
the peace was summoned and the body was
cut down and an inquest held. The dead
mans head was bare and his feet were
covered by an old pair of Shoes but no
stockings. In pocket of an old farm coat
which the dead man had on was found a
piece of paper, on which was written
Il CAN'T STAND THE DIsGRCE."
The writing closely resembled that of the
dead man and the general impression
seemed to be that the old man had hanged
himself on discovering his wife's guilty
flight and robbery of all he had in the world.
There were no marks Of violence on the body.
but Dr.. Ford, who made post-mortem ex-
animation, gave it as his opinion that death
had not resulted from hanging. but that the
man was dead when hanged to the tree In
spite OF that testimony, however, the jury
returned verdict of suicide.
HANGED HIMSELF.
Man Frantic with Drink Ommits
suicide in His Cell.
WnKEsBARRE, Pa, Jan. 25.-Boyd
Linki, believed to be Polander committed
suicide in the lookup at Nanticoke about
o'clock yesterday morning by hanging.
while drunk. Linki seemed perfectly